Leeds United went down 2-0 away at Burnley on Saturday, once again wasting a host of chances.
The Whites went down 2-0 at Turf Moor thanks to goals either side of half-time from Lesley Ugochukwu and Loum Tchaouna. However, Daniel Farke will feel his side did more than enough to earn a result in Lancashire, with his side outshooting the Clarets 19-4 to the tune of 2.63-0.45 xG (FotMob).
Leeds missed four ‘big chances’ on the day, meaning they’re now third in the table in this particular metric behind only Manchester City (17) and Crystal Palace (22), but with 10 and five goals fewer than those two sides, respectively.
Clinton Morrison bemoans major Leeds United absence
Dominic Calvert-Lewin passed up yet more opportunities on Saturday, but he wasn’t the only one guilty of wasting chances. The likes of Brenden Aaronson, Jayden Bogle and Lukas Nmecha also missed major openings to score on what was an extremely frustrating afternoon.
That lack of ruthlessness is costing Leeds dear in their Premier League return so far, with their seven goals the third-lowest total in the top flight this season, despite being mid-table for xG (10.4).
Former Crystal Palace and Republic of Ireland striker Morrison picked out Aaronson for particular criticism after his 32nd-minute miss. The ex-striker also highlighted the absence of Wilfried Gnonto - who is sidelined with a calf injury - as particularly painful, alongside Dan James, who finally returned to action from the bench on Saturday.
“They offered a bit but they didn’t really create any clear-cut chances. Aaronson has the best chance and [Martin] Dubravka makes a brilliant save,” Morrison said on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday after the match.
“He should really be scoring. He tipped it onto the post. Then they had kind of half-chances where the ball wasn’t breaking for them in the box.
“They are so reliant on Calvert-Lewin, at the moment. But he needs more crosses into the box. I think they’re missing Willy Gnonto and they’re missing Dan James. But he came back from injury and he came and made a cameo appearance.”
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What next for Leeds United?
Saturday’s loss means Leeds have taken just one point from three matches since beating Wolves in mid-September, while losing their last two.
That only increases the pressure on Friday’s match at home against West Ham United, with the Hammers 19th in the table and just four points behind the Whites, with a game in hand against Brentford on Monday night.
After that, it’s two difficult away ties for Farke’s side against Brighton and Nottingham Forest before a nightmare run of Aston Villa (home), Man City (away), Chelsea (home) and Liverpool (home).
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